


My Next Life as the Ultimate Despair

by Gamer4



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:22:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29130993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gamer4/pseuds/Gamer4
Summary: A prank gone wrong reawakens memories of a past life within Junko Enoshima- life as a young man whose final game was Danganronpa! With new knowledge and memories running around her skull, the new Junko Enoshima is ready to turn the world of Danganronpa on its head. Everyone else is just along for the ride. Loosely inspired by My Next Life as a Villainess.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Awakening

Gamer4 in. Y'know, it's funny how life works sometimes. I thought of this idea more as a joke than anything else, but over the course of a day, came to genuinely believe it had real potential. So here we are- My Next Life as the Ultimate Despair. Unlike my usual fare, this won't be a direct retelling of My Next Life as a Villainess, though that anime does serve as inspiration. There will likely be some allusions, but it won't be a beat-for-beat retelling- there's plenty of room to go dreaming here. I hope you enjoy- let's begin.

Disclaimer: Danganronpa is owned by Spike Chunsoft, My Next Life as a Villainess by Satoru Yamaguchi. Probably didn't technically have to disclaim that one, but you can never be too sure.

My Next Life as the Ultimate Despair

Chapter I

Awakening

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times- this world is weird. Very weird. You just wouldn't believe how bizarrely, oddly strange it is- for evidence, I submit the story of one Junko Enoshima.

Junko Enoshima was an odd girl herself- despite her young age, she had felt more despair than most people felt through their entire lives- and she liked it that way. Despair, paradoxically, made her feel good- made her feel alive.

It would seem very odd, then, for her to attend a school known as Hope's Peak Academy, where the students who would forge a brighter tomorrow came to learn, but if one was to think more on it, it made complete sense. What better place to begin planting the seeds of despair than the place that was supposed to foster pure hope?

She had smirked from the front courtyard upon arriving, almost able to taste the wonderful, wonderful despair she would spread.

All it would take was time.

XXXX

Fast forward a few months. School was underway, as were Junko's plans to initiate the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History (TM.) This idea is what allowed her to wake up in the morning with a smile, getting herself ready to face the day and heading out into the hallway to hunt down her useless sister, Mukuro Ikusaba.

She kept rapping on the door until Mukuro finally opened it- remaining motionless as Junko continued her rapping on Mukuro's forehead. "Bout time, you waste of space," Junko complained. "What, your alarm didn't go off today?"

"I don't use an alarm," Mukuro tilted her head in confusion, paying no mind as the raps continued.

"Then what did keep you?"

Mukuro averted her eyes, mumbling something incoherent. Junko rolled her eyes- as if she actually cared what her stupid sister was up to when she was looking the other way.

"Whatever, come with me," she ordered, turning on her heel and marching off, Mukuro following behind like a lost puppy.

"Status report," Junko demanded, not caring over-much who heard her- the thought of getting caught only brought her even more glorious despair.

"Mikan is steadily coming around towards our cause," Mukuro rattled off.

"Yeah, she's done the impossible- she's even more pathetic than you," Junko scoffed.

Mukuro took the insult in stride. "I've been keeping tabs on the Kamakura project- once it goes through, it should be simple to recruit him."

"If he's even half as bored as I am," Junko nodded.

"The AI for Monokuma is coming along well, according to Chihiro- once we have it, it should be easy for you to rewrite."

"Damn straight," Junko nodded, momentarily slipping into one of her many different personas. "Now, what about that thorn in my side- Makoto Naegi?"

Oh, Makoto Naegi- how she loathed that name. Such a young boy, full of so much hope... blurgh. If he could just shut up and keep it to himself, it would be fine, but he had the horrendous habit of spreading hope to everyone else in the school, too! For one such as her, absolutely besotted with despair, could there be any clearer enemy?

Mukuro remained silent.

Junko looked back at her, crossing her arms. "Any ideas on how to deal with Naegi?"

She could see the conflict going on behind Mukuro's eyes- she was absolutely loyal to her sister, of course, but even Mukuro- Junko's fellow Ultimate Despair- didn't seem to be immune to that oh-so-toxic hope. Junko's eyes began to empty. "We still have time, Mukuro, but you're going to have to decide soon... are you loyal to him, or to me?"

Mukuro cringed away, looking all too uncomfortable at the realization. "You, of course... always you..."

Junko's face brightened, but on the inside, she was just as empty as ever. "Sounds good! Now... to breakfast!"

Breakfast at Hope's Peak was often the same for the students of Class 78- the class to which Junko belonged. Most of the class ate at a center table, while some of the more reserved ones ate on their own- Byakuya Togami, for instance, kept to his own table- or wold, if he wasn't being stalked as usual by Toko Fukawa. Kyoko Kirigiri ate with the main group, after a great deal of coercion from... bleh, Makoto... and Mukuro invariably was on her own as well. Junko sat with her sometimes, sometimes she didn't. Today was an example of the former.

"I'm getting bored, Mukuro," she confided. "It's about time for a despairing turn of events."

"What's the plan?" Mukuro asked immediately- ever the obedient dog.

Junko beckoned her closer. "I've been keeping my ear to the ground, my hideous little sister, and I just so happen to know that some potential students for Class 79 are going to be coming soon to show off their talent for the scouts. They're getting ready up in the music room, including... a piano!"

Mukuro blinked in some mild surprise. "You... you mean...?"

"Listen, my sister, and you shall hear," Junko beckoned conspiratorially. They leaned close to each other and began to whisper out their plan.

XXXX

Junko felt the glee that only came to her from incoming despair as she searched through the school for her chosen target. Finally, she located Makoto Naegi in his natural environment- playing with the school store's gacha machine. She fought back the urge to roll her eyes- of course he'd be here, getting more useless junk to try and get into everybody's good graces, the little suck-up.

She fought down her revulsion and forced a smile. "Hey, Naegi! Wanna come up to the rec room with me? I thought of a new way to test your luck!"

"Oh- sure, Enoshima!" Makoto agreed, flashing her that bright, colorful, hateful smile. She fought back the urge to gag.

He followed her out the door, and towards the stairs, where, up above, the three strongest students currently at the school- Mondo Owada, Sakura Ogami, and Nekomaru Nidai- were in the midst of hauling up a piano.

"You'd think they'd have an easier way to get somethin' like this up to the music room," Mondo grunted, red-faced from exertion. "Why's the music room even on the fourth floor, anyway?"

"Truly, this school is full of mysteries," Sakura agreed- even she was feeling some strain.

"NO COMPLAINING!" Nekomaru chastised, doing his best to use his inside voice. "WE WILL GET THIS PIANO TO ITS PROPER LOCATION, OR MY NAME ISN'T NEKOMARU NIDAAAAAAAIIIIIII!"

None of them noticed the strategically placed banana peel Junko had carefully planted on the steps- not until Nekomaru stepped on it and slipped spectacularly, punctuating his tumble with a loud cry. "SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"

Strong as they were, Sakura and Mondo couldn't take the sudden shift in balance, buckling under the sudden new weight as the piano began crashing down the stairs- right towards where Junko was leading Makoto.

"Crap- there's someone down there!" Mondo roared.

"Look out!" Sakura bellowed.

Makoto looked up and his eyes widened as he saw the multi-ton instrument careening towards him. None of them saw Junko's grin widened as a look of terror spread across his face. Yes, this was what she lived for- that moment of dawning despair-

The piano missed. By at least three feet. To the left.

It was Junko's turn to widen her eyes. "Wha-"

"That was close," Sakura grunted, landing on the floor in front of them, stretching the leg she'd just used to kick the piano off course. "Are you okay, Makoto?"

"Fine, Sakura, thanks for the save," Makoto waved sheepishly. "Junko and I were just- Junko, where are you going?"

"Going on ahead," Junko grumbled, her voice oddly empty. "You really have the devil's own luck."

She hurried up the stairs, not eager to meet anyone's eyes. It was always like this, somehow- no matter how carefully she thought through her plans, Makoto seemed so untouchable, as if the universe itself conspired to make him as large a thorn in her side as possible.

"Um, Junko, are you okay?" Makoto asked, perhaps sensing some of her distress.

Junko didn't answer, continuing on her way, so upset she didn't even notice the discarded banana peel until she'd slammed her foot down on it and found herself careening backwards.

"Whoa- Junko!" Mondo called, reaching out just a second too late to grab her.

Junko's eyes opened wide as they rose to the ceiling, her body falling backwards, her stomach rushing up into her throat as she realized what had happened. Oh, you gotta be shitting me!

"Junko!"

Even Sakura was unable to reach her before her skull collided painfully with the stairs- once, twice, thrice. Not that she felt anything past the first blow- she was out pretty quickly after that.

XXXX

Junko found herself surrounded by a dark, howling void. "Well, this sucks," she grumbled, crossing her mental arms. "How could I let something so stupid and cliche...?"

She trailed off when she suddenly saw something in the endless shadow- a small room with a sofa sitting before a large television. A young man sat in the sofa's center, a game controller in his hand, beaming at whatever he was seeing on screen.

"What a loser," she couldn't help thinking. "Who is... this..."

A name popped into her head: Jack Baker.

"Jack Baker? Why do I know that name... wait... isn't that... that was... that used to be my name?!"

XXXX

Junko opened her eyes to a white ceiling. "Hmm... unfamiliar ceiling." She couldn't help smirking slightly- until she looked to her side and saw the Ultimate Nurse looming directly over her. "Whoa!" she gasped, pushing herself back into her pillow as far as she could. "Give a brother a little space, would ya? You're in my personal bubble!"

"B-brother?" Mikan Tsumiki asked, tilting her head in confusion.

Junko blinked, struggling to sort through her very mixed and confused thoughts. "Er... sister- sorry, just took a... a nasty knock to the head, you know?"

"Oh- yes, that makes sense," Mikan nodded, before breaking into a grin. "It's wonderful to see you awake!"

Junko barely registered her- her head was reeling with countless thoughts, memories and images, all clashing drastically with each other. "Yeah, sure... er... you mind leaving me be for a little? I've got some things... to think about..."

"Of course. I'll get some medicine for the headache."

When she was alone, Junko reached up and touched her head- it was bound tightly in bandages, feeling very tender. Her thoughts returned to her bizarre dream- the dream of a young man living in an American city.

"Los Juicio." She felt the name come to her lips as easily as the boy's name had come, despite never having heard either in her life. At least, not this life...

"Could those really have been... memories of a past life?"

The more she thought on it, the more memories came to her- memories of a life she shouldn't recall, but did, with increasing clarity.

My name was Jack Baker... I lived in the city of Los Juicio. But... now I'm here... what happened?

I loved video games... my best friend got me into this one series... what was it? Dang...gan... Danganronpa, that's it! A mystery series, and I fell in love with it. I'd just finished the last game, when...

A rush of pain coursed through her head, refusing to allow her to go much further.

I... I was tired... and that driver... he was drunk... it came right off the road, ran me over... and then... I... I died...

Yes... Jack Baker was dead. And yet, here he was- er... here she was, rather.

She looked down on her body- it had never seemed so foreign to her as it suddenly did now. She raised her hands, suddenly seeming like alien appendages attached to her arms.

Reborn? Reborn... into another world... huh, who knew those animes had the right idea?

She leaned back and contented herself with looking at the ceiling. Danganronpa... yeah, we were playing that together, weren't we? Tom and I... he loved watching me react to the twists. I still remember that big grin on his face when I realized who the mastermind was- that Junko... Eno...shima...

Her thought processes ground to a halt- the realization was almost like another, equally powerful blow to her skull.

The door swung open, and Mukuro appeared, looking horrified. "I'd have been here earlier, but Mikan said it was better for you if I stayed out- are you okay, Junko?"

Mukuro Ikusaba, the sixteenth student hidden somewhere in the school- watch out for her.

Makoto was right behind her. "Junko- are you okay? You took a really nasty spill!"

Makoto Naegi- the Ultimate Hope!

Junko's breath caught in her throat as reality began pressing further and further in on her.

"Junko! Can you hear me?" Mukuro pressed. "Junko? Junko?!"

Finally, Junko forced a single word out. "Mirror."

"Huh- what?"

"MIRROR!"

For once, she hadn't meant to be so forceful, but she needed to see her face, and she needed to see it now. All the evidence in her analytical mind told her it must be so, but until she saw it with her own eyes, there was still hope- urgh, that still sounded weird to her ears.

Mukuro and Makoto glanced at each other, but Mukuro shrugged and reached for Junko's bag. There was a hand mirror in there, sometimes used for adjusting makeup, far more often used for wanton mischief.

Junko accepted it with shaking hands, and gazed into it.

Near-perfect face.

Strawberry-blond hair tied into pigtails.

Ice-blue eyes.

"JUNKO!"

Junko didn't hear them- she was busy fainting dead away.

XXXX

This is what I like to call the sales-pitch chapter- getting the idea out there to get a feel for how welcome it is. To be clear right off the bat, Jack is not a self-insert- he's from a personal project I'm working on, titled Solaris. God willing, that'll see the light someday. I guess an ulterior motive to all this would be practicing writing my own character, even if he'll technically be Junko throughout this story's runtime. Any knowledge you need will be provided to you, but we'll be focusing more on Danganronpa anyways.

As for this story, it's been a while since I've done a fun, goofy story that places laughs first and story second- that's what I intend to go for here. I do plan on there being an overarching narrative, but the biggest reason I'm writing this is to provide laughs in a world I believe desperately needs them- take that as you will. To let me know how you feel, please R&R, constructive criticism always welcome, Gamer4 out!


	2. Perks of a Past Life

Gamer4 in. It’s sort of a tradition for me to put up a second chapter up relatively soon after the first, as a way to show my commitment to the project. Therefore, this chapter. Seems some of you are enjoying this- glad to see it! I hope that continues as we progress!

Disclaimer: There will likely be several references to other media here- not like that’s unprecedented with this series. Go ahead and assume that I don’t own anything unless I specifically state otherwise, it’ll be easier that way. Next time, disclaimer radio returns.

Chapter II

Perks of a Past Life

The next time Junko found herself rising to consciousness, she kept her eyes closed, listening around her.

“-really shouldn’t be passing out again!” Mukuro was fretting.

“I’m sure she just didn’t feel quite right after the fall she took,” Makoto was struggling to reassure her, despite the clear nerves in his own voice.

*Okay, Junko, let’s take a moment to workshop this,* she thought to herself. *For the past sixteen years of my life, I’ve been Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Despair, destined to bring about the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History (TM.) As of noon today, I fell down several flights of stairs, sustaining some severe head injuries awakening memories of another life within me. In this life, I was an American boy named Jack Baker- an avid gamer whose life was cut despairfully short by a drunk driver. In the months leading up to his demise, he had been playing a series titled ‘Danganronpa,’ a mystery series in which the mastermind was..... Junko Enoshima. It would seem that upon death, Jack found himself reborn in that game’s world as the villain of that series..... and is now me.*

Her head ached trying to comprehend this plot twist suddenly thrown into her life. *Well, at the very least, this isn’t a boring turn of events..... but what now?*

She was strongly tempted to sink back into subconsciousness, shutting out all noise around her in favor of working out ways to deal with this strange new situation, but she had a hunch she wouldn’t have silence until her sister and one-sided rival were certain she was okay.

Finally, she opened her eyes, the light very harsh on them as she looked around. “Uuhhhnnnnn.....” she grumbled in an effort to alert them.

“Junko!” Mukuro was by her side in an instant, her usual stoic facade overcome with worry. “You’re awake again!”

“Yeah.... not sure what happened last time,” Junko lied. “Just kinda..... fell back asleep.....”

“Gave us a scare,” Makoto chimed in, a wide grin of relief overcoming his face. “You slipped on a banana peel, of all things.”

Junko forced a laugh. “That’s something I’d expect from you.”

“Yeah..... kinda does seem like something that’d happen to me, doesn’t it?” Makoto chuckled, scratching sheepishly at the back of his head.

“So..... you’ve both been watching me since then?” Before, Junko would have had no emotional response to this whatsoever, but in the wake of her little awakening, she couldn’t fight off a foreign feeling of warmth in her chest.

“It was no big deal, it’s only been a couple hours,” Makoto waved her concern aside. “Mukuro did say you were a fast healer.”

“She’s right about that,” Junko nodded. Some part of her seemed to recall that Jack had been a rather fast healer as well. “Where’s Mikan?”

“Getting more medicine,” Mukuro answered. “She says she needs to keep you here tonight, at least- but at this rate, you should be good to leave tomorrow.”

“Good..... that’s good.....” 

Junko looked out the window- the sun was disappearing behind the horizon. “Well.... I’m feeling better, as you can see..... you mind giving me some time to myself?”

“Oh, of course!” Makoto grinned. “I need to go tell Sakura the good news anyway- she was really beating herself up for not catching you.”

He dashed out of the room with that same jovial air following him.

“Go with him, Mukuro,” Junko muttered, leaning her head back onto her pillow. “I’m sure you wanted to, anyways.....”

She kept her eyes closed for a minute or so. When she opened them, Mukuro was still there, watching her with an inscrutable expression. “....Yes?”

“You tried to hurt him,” Mukuro stated emotionlessly.

Junko’s eyes opened fully, and she struggled to lift her head to look her sister in the eye.

“Pardon?”

“You tried to crush Makoto with that piano..... didn’t you?”

It was posed as a question, but didn’t feel like one at all.

“You..... you promised me, as long as I followed your instructions, you’d leave him alone, but.....”

There was a sorrow growing in Mukuro’s eyes as she comprehended the depths of Junko’s betrayal. A despair, if you will. It should have been a wonderful feeling for Junko..... so why did she find herself instead wrestling with her stomach, twisting itself in..... guilt? Was this what guilt feels like? So different from despair, and she found herself not enjoying it at all.

She rushed to think of an excuse- something she could say that wouldn’t reveal what had really happened in its entirety- somehow, she didn’t think telling Mukuro about her sudden new memories would help anything.

“A simple, dear sister, nothing more.” She made to adjust a pair of glasses on her face, but in her current state, she obviously couldn’t produce any actual spectacles. “I, of course, knew that Sakura would act quickly enough to save our precious little hope bagel, I merely wished to see how he would respond. As I expected, he remains entirely oblivious to any malicious intentions on our part.” Her pose shifted, mushrooms abruptly growing from her head. “It will bring him so much despair when he finally discovers what we’ve been doing, don’t you think?”

And she was looking forward to that day..... or at least, had been. In light of recent events, she wasn’t so certain herself.

Mukuro glanced at the floor. “I..... I see. Of course- that makes sense.”

“Damn right it does!” Junko attempted to summon her rock-star persona, but found herself unable to harness such energy. “Remember- I’m the woman with the plan!”

“Right- it’s not the place of an idiot like me to question you,” Mukuro bowed her head, unwittingly twisting a knife in Junko’s chest.

“Er.... right.... that.....” she nodded, suddenly unable to look directly at her sister. “Look, I need to sleep this off right now..... why don’t you come back tomorrow, and we can talk about where we go from here?”

“Of course,” Mukuro nodded. “Good night, Junko. I love you.”

It was something she said every time she departed, ever since her return from Fenrir, desperately trying to assure her sister that she would never leave again- she loved her far too much. She never got a response, of course- love wasn’t something Junko Enoshima tossed around freely-

“Love you too, sis.”

Mukuro froze with her hand on the door, myriad emotions assaulting her at once. Shock- how long had it been since Junko had said anything like that to her? Terror- the kinder Junko acted, the greater the fallout often was. 

But.... deep below all that, a small ray of joy. She hadn’t realized how much she’d longed to hear those words from her sister’s lips until they’d been spoken. Perhaps it was another trick, set to bring her even more despair later, but maybe..... just maybe......

Junko was instantly able to calculate every single emotion brought about by those simple words, and it only twisted her own stomach further. What was wrong with her today.....? Okay, stupid question.

“Th.....thanks,” Mukuro finally forced out, before taking her leave.

Junko flopped back on the bed, closing her eyes. Okay, time for some serious thinking.

XXXX

COURTROOM OF JUNKO’S MIND

Sixteen chairs sat in a circle, a seventeenth standing high above behind what seemed to be a judge’s bench. Of the seats on the ground, fourteen were occupied by various Junkos, each dressed in different clothing, their hair in different styles. They were all talking nervously amongst themselves, until finally, a fifteenth Junko appeared, approaching the judge’s chair. This Junko was wearing a bald cap, accompanied by large fake beard and moustache and long black robes. She picked up a gavel and banged it on the desk. “All rise for the Honorable Judge Junko Baker!” she declared.

“Stand! And bow!” one of the Junkos- her strawberry blond hair short and in military spikes- instructed the others as she followed her own instructions.

“That will do, Kiyotaka Enoshima, that will do,” the Junko on the stand chuckled at her antics. “Now, I’m sure there’s no need for me to explain the rules of the class trial at this point, but if anyone would like a refresher....”

“Wait, class trial?!” gasped a Junko with large, dreadlocked hair stretching a full foot from her head in any direction. “You mean someone’s died? OHHHH, NOOOOO!”

“Nobody’s dead, idiot,” another Junko rolled her eyes. Her hair was in punk style, accentuated by a fake goatee and several piercings. “Weren’t you paying attention at all?”

“I suppose I can offer a summary of this case, on behalf of those.... left behind,” suggested perhaps the calmest Junko in the room- her hair long and straight, with the exception of one braid she occasionally adjusted with a gloved hand. “Following the injury we sustained earlier today, a new persona has awoken within us with memories, thoughts, and desires at complete odds with anything we’ve felt before. We must now meet to decide what to do with this information.”

“Yeah,” squeaked a more timid Junko- the smallest one present, in point of fact. “I..... I don’t know about you guys, but..... I don’t really want to destroy the world anymore....”

“Indeed!” Taka Enoshima nodded her fierce agreement. “Destroying the world is not permitted in a school environment!” 

“Is it welcome in any environemnt?” pondered a Junko who’d taken it upon herself to dye her hair blue.

“Hmm.... I would think the original Junko and Mukuro would like to be here for this,” pondered a Junko in a large black dress, her hair pulled into large drills on either side. “Where might they be at the moment?”

The largest Junko present, her muscles tearing through her school uniform, crossed her arms. “She began moving to destroy us all the moment we began appearing- Mondo and I were forced to restrain her.”

“And, of course, where Junko goes, Mukuro goes,” agreed the second-largest Junko, scratching at hair lifted into a large corncob-shaped pompadour. 

“We’re getting off track!” called another Junko- speaking of tracks, she was wearing a track jacket and shorts. “Obviously, we’re gonna call off our plans to destroy the world, aren’t we? I mean.... it’s the world!”

Yet another Junko scoffed, glaring at the others through a pair of frameless glasses. “Such ignorance.....”

“Everybody quiet!” screamed the Junko at her side- her hair was long, pulled into pigtails on either side. “Mistress is speaking!”

“But you’re the only one talking over her....” Junko Asahina lifted her arms and shook her head.

“I don’t need your help,” Junko Togami sneered at Toko Enoshima. Turning to the others, she made the rest of her thoughts known. “Your assumption that we even can put an end to our plans to destroy the world is merely that- an assumption. With the course set, we have no guarantee whatsoever that an aversion is possible.”

“This may be true,” Celestia Enoshima nodded. “Certainly, I have my own attachments to the world, but there is no guarantee that we will be able to save it at this late stage in the game.”

“Wait, wait, wait- late stage?” Leon Enoshima piped up. “We’ve barely started! We haven’t even gotten to the Student Council Killing Game yet- now that’s what I’d call the point of no return!”

“There is more than our own plans to consider,” Junko Togami shook her head. “Junko was able to destroy the world with relative ease, yes, but a large portion of that was due to.... pre-existing conditions.”

“Huh?” Junko Asahina asked, raising a finger to her chin and tilting her head in confusion.

Junko Togami sighed. “In terms even you can understand, Junko was the spark of the Tragedy, yes, but a large part of why she was so successful was the large powder keg that already existed.”

“Hmmm..... you know, it occurs to me that this situation greatly resembles what one might see in an anime,” Celestia Enoshima submitted. “Perhaps, for more information, we ought turn to our resident anime expert?”

A chair turned, and the plumpest Junko appeared, smirking behind steepled hands. “So, it is Junko Yamada’s time to shine, is it? Heheheh..... I shall tell you anything you wish to know.”

“We’re relying on her?!” Toko Enoshima groaned dramatically.

“Stop talking,” Junko Togami ordered- Toko quickly silenced herself.

“What of it, Yamada?” Junko Maizono asked, finger at her chin again. “In situations like this in anime, is saving the future generally possible?”

“That, my dear, would often depend on the tone of the anime in question,” Junko Yamada answered dramatically. “In a more serious, dire anime, the heroine would struggle to avert the cruel destiny thrust onto the world, only to die alone in the gutter. In a more comedic anime, however, the heroine’s fears would greatly outweigh the actual threat in the first place- changing the future would be a trivial task, leaving more time for slapstick and moe hijinks!”

“So......” Yasuhiro Enoshima was trying to think. It looked like hard work. “We..... need to find out if this is a tragedy or a comedy?”

“Tch,” Junko Togami scoffed again. “I refuse to allow our future to be determined by the will of Japan’s animation industry! If we are to get anywhere at all, we must rely on facts and logic- and everything is currently pointing towards an absolute failure to-”

“NO, THAT’S WRONG!” 

Everyone turned to stare at the final Junko, who had risen to her feet and was pointing dramatically at Togami. This Junko was in a hoodie, her shorter hair pulled up into an ahoge. 

“In the game, Junko was the Ultimate Despair who brought the world to its knees- yes, the set-up was there, but Junko was still the spark that caused everything to come crashing down- but that’s us now! We have the power to protect the world!”

“And what of those aforementioned pre-existing conditions, not contingent at all on our interference?” Togami challenged.

“The what now?” Mondo Enoshima scratched her head in confusion.

“The powder keg we were talking about earlier,” Junko Fujisaki whispered.

“Ah.”

“Well, Junko’s not just the Ultimate Despair, remember?” Junko Naegi challenged. “She’s also the Ultimate Analyst- and we’ve got the Ultimate Soldier on our side, too! With her help, and the help of all our friends-”

“Hmmm.... are you sure about this?” Celestia interrupted. “Mukuro knows better than anyone that we came to this academy to spread despair- do you think even she would accept such a sudden change of heart?”

“It’ll take some time to win her over, I’m sure,” Junko Naegi acknowledged. “But she’s our sister! I have faith she can be brought to our side!”

“I remember..... as Jack..... we always wanted a sister!” Junko Fujisaki seemed to brighten perceptibly. 

“Brother, sister..... hell, we’d have taken a live-in cousin,” Mondo Enoshima nodded, scratching at the back of his head.

“Would we, now?” Togami objected.

“Oh, what now?!” Junko Asahina groaned dramatically. 

“Facts and logic,” Togami repeated. “I’m just as happy about this little change of heart as any one of you, but this..... this thought of a past life..... I find it highly questionable. We did, after all, just suffer a severe injury to our head- who is to say that memories of that life really are a simple result of severe head trauma?”

“Hmm..... Yamada? How might we go about testing this hypothesis?” Celeste asked.

“Hahahaha!” Junko Yamada cackled. “......I don’t know.”

“I mean, it’s not like we can test our knowledge of the world through the game,” Leon grumbled. “Anything we could have learned through there, we already know from our time as Junko.”

“Then we test it by other means!” Naegi submitted, eyes shining with hope completely foreign to the halls of Junko’s subconscious. “Jack was a gamer, wasn’t he? But Junko never was, was she?”

“I sure as hell never saw her playing any games,” Mondo nodded.

“Maybe we could talk to Chiaki Nanami, compare some notes- if Jack’s knowledge matches, we can say Jack honestly had knowledge Junko never did!”

“It wouldn’t be my first decision,” Junko Kirigiri pondered, “but, in light of what we have..... I’ll second that plan. Any objections, Togami?”

Togami crossed her arms, glancing to the side. “I suppose this proposal is.... acceptable.”

“Then we are all in agreement?” Taka Enoshima asked.

“Aye!”

“Splendid,” Junko Baker spoke up for the first time since the very beginning. “We have a two-point plan: begin garnering support, starting with our sister, Mukuro..... and point two, determine the accuracy of our new memories by sharing game knowledge with Chiaki Nanami! Motion carried!”

She slammed her gavel, bringing the trial to a close.

XXXX

The next time Junko awoke, the sun was coming through the windows, brightening up the nurse’s office significantly. A quick glance to her side revealed Mukuro sitting there, silently waiting for her to awaken. “Hey, Muku,” Junko found herself smiling. “....How long have you been sitting there?”

“Only an hour or so,” Mukuro answered promptly.

Junko felt that pang again- of course, Mukuro would have gladly sat there all day if that’s what it took..... that’s just how she was.

“Loyal to the end, huh.....?”

“Of course,” Mukuro nodded.

“Well.... I’ve got something to take care of,” Junko grunted as she pulled herself into a sitting position. “So, here’s what I want you to do for me.....”

She beckoned Mukuro closer and whispered in her ear.

“Of.... of course, but may I ask why-”

The second the words were out of Mukuro’s mouth, she winced. One did not question Junko Enoshima’s orders- they merely followed them to the letter.

Normally, such a questioning would be followed by a false smile only thinly concealing the bitter disdain beneath- but when Mukuro looked at Junko’s smile now, she saw none of that. If anything, she seemed..... excited? Perhaps that should be making her even more nervous, but.....

“Oh, sister, sister, sister,” Junko giggled, patting her on the shoulder. “I’m the woman with the plan, remember? I’m just gonna need you to trust me on this one.”

Mukuro nodded. “Very well. I’ll secure the package without fail.”

She braced herself for the oncoming disdain and insults- she was sure they were coming-

Junko giggled. “Ever the soldier, huh? Meet me back at my room tonight- we can enjoy it together.”

Mukuro stood rather hesitantly, nodding. “As.... as you say....”

Junko grinned as she watched her go, before a thought suddenly occurred to her. “Wait.... I’m feeling..... amused.....”

She looked down at herself. “I’m feeling..... something other than despair. Other than despair, and boredom.....”

Her eyes widened in an upward spiral of excitement. “I...... I’m feeling!”

And suddenly, any concerns she’d had about welcoming those other memories disappeared, as Jack and Junko united- Jack had no desire to destroy the world, and Junko was just so happy to, at long last, break free of her eternal boredom.

Junko smirked, rubbing her hands together. “This is gonna be interesting..... very interesting.”

She leapt to her feet, snapping her fingers. “Let’s rock, baby!”

XXXX

Wasn’t entirely sure where to cut it- still getting a feeling for the chapter length I want here. Probably gonna confuse the heck outta my editor- maybe even bring him despair? ..... I need some sleep myself. Until next time, please R&R, constructive criticism embraced, Gamer4 out!


	3. Something Strange

Gamer4 in. So, this is awkward... during my routine combing of the Danganronpa fanfic archives, I've discovered that I'm not the first to do something like this. Example: Clemerl's I'm Who Now? I swear to the Wave Existence I had no idea this story existed until after I'd begun this one. Not sure how much introduction it needs- if you're reading this, you're liable to have read that one as well- but suffice to say it's a more serious approach to the subject matter. Exhibit A- it takes place during the actual killing game, and forces its OC to actually play along with it. Again, chances are, if you're reading this, you've read that already, but if not, may be worth checking out. In the meantime, chapter 3!

Disclaimer: Hmmm... What song do I want for this... screw it, first song that comes up on my playlist. A-hem: Raven hair, and ruby lips! Sparks fly from her fingertips! Echoed voices in the night- she's a restless spirit, on an endless flight!

Chapter III

Something Strange

Junko hummed merrily as she skipped her way up to the second floor of the dorms, shared by her upperclassmen. The halls were almost empty- perhaps a blessing in the long run. If anyone were to see Junko Enoshima skipping along with a look of glee on her face like this, concern would be the only possible reaction. But then, it wasn't really Junko anymore- not entirely, at least.

She combed her way through the doors, before finally locating the one she was searching for, tapping out Shave and a Haircut in the hopes of attracting the inhabitant's attention.

When about a minute had passed without any signs of movement from within, she reached out and rapped the pattern out again.

Finally, the door opened, revealing a very sleepy-looking schoolgirl, still rubbing her eyes. "I'm awake, I'm awake... Enoshima?"

Chiaki Nanami tilted her head in mild confusion when she recognized the girl on the other side of the portal. "You're Junko Enoshima, right?" she asked. "From Class 78?"

"That's my name, don't wear it out!" Junko nodded brightly.

"If you're looking for Mikan, she's down at the Nurse's Office..."

"Yeah, I know, that's where I came from," Junko nodded, adjusting her hair enough to show off her bandages. "No, no, I'm here to talk to you!"

Chiaki bent over, seemingly to look closer. "...Is this for a prank?"

Junko laughed. "I see my reputation precedes me! No, no, no pranks, I actually wanted to talk video games!"

Suddenly, Chiaki was wide awake. "Really?" she gasped. "I didn't know you were into video games!"

*Neither did I, until a couple hours ago.* "Well, I'm no expert or anything, but I play some when I get the chance!"

Chiaki stepped back, allowing her entrance. Her room was tidier than Junko had imagined- the pile of garbage was kept sequestered in one corner, on the opposite side of a mini-fridge Chiaki was cracking open as she ushered Junko in towards a large-screen tv. "I don't suppose you want a soda?"

Junko was ready to decline- such treats weren't something she generally allowed herself- but she felt herself falter when she spied the inside of the fridge, stocked with at least eight different varieties of soda. The 'Jack' side of her brain suddenly went into overdrive, causing her to start drooling. She quickly fought back the urge. "A... a Livewire sounds good."

Chiaki smiled kindly as she brought out an orange Mountain Dew, handing it over. Junko popped the tab- it was ecstasy, the likes of which she'd never known before. She had to fight not to throw back her head and drink it all at once- Jack would have done it without question, but she had an image to maintain.

Of course, she was still sitting down to play some video games with the Ultimate Gamer, too...

"So, did you have any games you wanted to try out?" Chiaki asked eagerly.

Junko paused- crap, she hadn't thought this far ahead. Then again, that just made things more exciting- she thought she was going to like thinking on her feet for a change, instead of relying on a bunch of boring, despairingly perfect plans.

Hmmm... a game that the old Junko would most definitely have never touched... there had to be something like that...

A familiar mischievous smirk crossed her face. "Chiaki, talk to me about... Kingdom Hearts."

"Oh- Kingdom Hearts?" Chiaki blinked, tilting her head in confusion again.

"What, the Ultimate Gamer doesn't have it?" Junko asked, maintaining her smile while inwardly wondering what it would mean for her if the series simply didn't exist in this world.

"No, no, I do- of course I do- I just didn't think it would be your type of game."

*Yup, that's kinda the point...* "I'm trying to step out of my comfort zone."

"I can appreciate that," Chiaki nodded. "Very well, I have the ultimate collection here..."

Junko's smirk grew into a more genuine grin as Chiaki booted up her system- a minute or two later, the menu of her Kingdom Hearts collection had been brought up on screen. "Now, the most common starting place is One, of course, but if you want to go entirely chronological, we should start with Birth By-"

"Two," Junko interrupted, struggling to keep her eyes from turning into stars at the sight of what had been one of Jack's old favorites.

"Er... if you're playing for the first time," Chiaki seemed to be fretting a bit, "I really can't recommend-"

"This isn't my first time, I've played it before," Junko waved her concern aside. "I have a general idea of what's going on! Just drop me off on one of your files!"

"Er... okay, if you really want a challenge, I was just about to go into the Cavern of Remembrance on this one...oh, but it's on Critical mode, too- the hardest difficulty-"

Junko's eyes really had turned to stars at this point. "Bring it on."

"Are- are you sure? For a first-timer-"

"Trust me, Chiaki, I've got it all in the bag!"

Chiaki eyed her up, shrugged, and handed her the controller. Junko immediately began surfing her way through the menus, re-equipping the party as she saw fit. Chiaki watched with surprise- it wasn't how she, the Ultimate Gamer, would have set things up, but it was hardly the work of someone who had no idea what they were doing, either.

Her playstyle was very similar- she wasn't eradicating the bosses hidden within the Cavern with nearly as much finesse as Chiaki would, but for someone who didn't seem like the type to have ever touched a controller before, she was doing remarkably well.

"Aaaaaand... suck it, Marluxia!" Junko grinned as she downed the final boss. "...You Melvin."

She hesitated when she remembered where and who she was, slowly turning to Chiaki- however, she didn't seem to have noticed the odd behavior, too focused on how well Junko had done in a game she professed not to be a huge fan of. "That was... really good... I think," she mused, tapping on her chin. "I think you've done more than just play it before. That was on critical, too..."

Realizing she was in imminent danger of blowing her cover, she threw herself into full retreat. "Er... beginner's luck, I'm sure!" She leapt to her feet and clapped her hands together. "Er... anyways, I think I've figured out what I needed to know. Thanks for the help, senpai, but I have a meeting with my sis soon, don't wanna keep her waiting!"

With that, she hurried out the door, leaving a baffled Chiaki in her wake. "That was... odd for her... I think?" Admittedly, she didn't know as much about Junko as her own classmates, but what she'd just seen seemed very different from everything she'd heard about the fashionista. "Oh, well... to all their off days, I suppose..."

With that, she returned to what she'd been doing before- namely, catching up on her sleeping.

XXXX

Junko took a deep breath as she returned to her room. "That... was close." She broke into a smile. "But, at least I confirmed that theory- there's no way the old Junko would have ever played such a hopeful series as Kingdom Hearts!"

She plopped down in her bed and gently lowered her still-throbbing head onto her pillow. "Still... our next move... bears some thinking..."

SCHOOLHOUSE OF JUNKO'S MIND

"Alright, settle down, bitches, Junko's about to teach you all a lesson!" Rock-Star Junko roared from the head of the class, near the whiteboard.

"But... we're all Junko here..." replied Secret Agent Junko- that is, the one with the hand in front of her face.

"Let her take charge if she wants," muttered Mushroom Junko, as gloomy as ever. "This is all going to end in tears either way..."

"Nonsense! Of course we should be the one to lead this meeting!" Royal Junko declared arrogantly.

"Bull-fucking-shit!" Rockstar Junko fervently denied. "We're all sick of you trying to turn us all into- whaddya call 'em? Thralls?"

"Oh, oh, I know, I know!" Moe-Junko raised her hand, bouncing up and down. "This is a classroom, right? So Teacher Junko should take charge!"

"Indeed, I have already begun," Teacher Junko nodded, adjusting her glasses as she sketched out a diagram in blue on the board.

"Fthine by me!" Nerdy Junko lisped.

"No objections hee-eere!" trilled the Junko with her tongue out.

"It won't do anything to stop the inevitable march of time towards our imminent demises," Mushroom Junko lamented.

"Ugh, shut up, you're starting to sound like that Komaeda freak!" Rock-Star Junko groaned.

Teacher Junko cleared her throat. "If the class would like to remain silent, we can begin. Now, aside from ourselves, of course, what were the primary causes of the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History (TM)?"

"I would have to say... Izuru Kamakura," Secret Agent Junko speculated from behind her palm. "Not just the man himself, but all of the circumstances surrounding him. That the Steering Committee would take such flagrant advantage of a Reserve Course student's desire for talent like that..."

"Oh! Oh! Speaking of the Reserve Course, there was their reaction to the whole thing!" Tongue Junko raised her hand. "It was super easy for Old Junko to bring them despair with their circumstances!"

"Convince someone they're being oppressed, and you can talk them into almost anything!" Moe Junko shuddered exaggeratedly. "Boy, it sure is scawy!"

"You're all forgetting the main cause of all that bullshit!" Rock Star Junko interjected. "It's all on those lame-asses on the Steering Committee! Sure, Old Junko took advantage of it, but those fucktards just about handed her the world on a silver platter!"

"Language, if you please," Teacher Junko reprimanded. "Though, I can't deny the veracity of your statement. It would certainly seem a great deal of blame for the Tragedy rests squarely on the Steering Committee's shoulders. Which brings me to my next question: did we ever actually identify these repugnant individuals?"

"I am afraid that is a negative," Secret Agent Junko sighed heavily. "Very little focus was given to them within the Danganronpa series, and as Junko, we had yet to go about uncovering such information."

"I knew it, we're doomed," Mushroom Junko whimpered.

"Oh, you peasants give in far too easily," Royal Junko chastised. "Our first step should be clear- unite the school behind our cause against the Steering Committee!"

"You make it thound tho thimple!" Nerdy Junko sounded astonished.

"Only because it is simple!" Royal Junko insisted. "We need not win over the entire school at once- we must begin, rather, with our own classmates! With Class 78 at our side, we will be much more ideally placed to-"

"Aren't you forgetting that we kinda have a reputation?" Mushroom Junko mumbled. "Everyone in Class 78 is either suspicious or outright afraid of us- except for Mukuro, of course, but that's because she already knows exactly what we were planning..."

"It does seem we're in a less-than-ideal situation to be garnering friendships..." Secret Agent Junko concurred.

"Oh, you lame-ass fucks!" Rock-Star Junko grumbled. "Always throwing in the towel before we've even started fighting! No wonder we gave into despair!"

"Are you saying you have a plan of action?" Teacher Junko asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Rock-Star shrugged, voice dripping with sarcasm. "If only there was a student in the class who was trusting to the point of naivete, who everyone else trusted in turn... you know, someone we could convince that we've turned over a new leaf, and he'd help us with everyone else? Too bad there's nobody like that, huh?"

"Oh! Oh! There is someone like that, isn't there!" Moe Junko beamed.

"You're talking about Makoto Naegi?" Secret Agent Junko hazarded a guess. "Hmm... that our greatest enemy should become our greatest hope... the irony is almost... palpable..."

"If you've got a better idea, I'd love to fuckin' hear it," Rock-Star leaned back, resting her case.

"No, no, that's a great idea!" Tongue Junko brightened up. "I mean, Mukuro already likes him, so it'll be easy to get her on board with that!"

"I'm sure she'd be glad to hear she won't have to kill him anymore..." Mushroom Junko finally said something mildly positive.

"Yes, truly, he would make a most excellent thrall!" Queen Junko proclaimed.

"You and your fucking thralls," Rock-Star Junko groaned. "Anyways, write it up, Teach- step one, win over Sis and Naegi!"

"Very well, I believe we-"

They were interrupted by a loud banging sound.

"Welp, that's it, it's the end of the world," Mushroom Junko lamented. "Should have known it would happen today..."

"Nah, that's just someone knocking on the door!" Tongue Junko pointed out. "Time to wake up!"

XXXX

Junko's eyes opened, and she glanced at her door, where one of her classmates was, indeed, knocking. She could only think of one person it could be- a smirk crossed her face.

XXXX

Mukuro hesitated at her sister's door. She had been acting very strange since waking up- she knew head injuries could cause people to do some odd things, she'd seen it enough times, but Junko was... wildly different from before. And yet... in a way, it was pleasant. She'd... she'd said that she loved her, and seemed to truly mean it...

She glanced at the package Junko had instructed her to secure, still unable to reason out why. It had been difficult to track down, and the shopkeeper had expressed great surprise as she'd checked out with it- first, that a girl of her age would even be aware of its existence, let alone actually want it. But here she was, ready to hand it over to her sister, and perhaps find some sort of method behind the madness.

She reached out and knocked. A moment passed before she heard Junko's singsong voice from the other side: "Come in~!"

She opened the door herself, and entered to find the room... seemingly empty. She scanned around, then found herself deftly dodging out of the way before her sister, who'd been keeping herself up in the room's corner, came crashing down towards her with a shout. Instead of body-slamming her, Junko ended up faceplanting on the floor.

"Oh no- Junko, are you okay?!" Mukuro panicked- she'd already hit her had earlier, further impacts could-

Junko responded by raising a thumbs-up above her head. "Good one," she congratulated into the carpet, before pulling herself to her feet. "Ah, that was fun. Gotta keep you on your toes, you know!"

Mukuro, once again, found herself at a loss for words- while such random tests were hardly a new thing with her sister, this was the first time she could recall Junko actually putting herself in harm's way- even if only for a faceplant- and it was far less... potentially lethal than usual.

Junko ignored her confusion, instead moving to stretch out and limber her body a bit. "So, you find it?"

"Of course," Mukuro confirmed, holding out a very large case filled with many, many DVDs. Junko's eyes brightened as she took in the image on the cover- a car traveling along a wooded road. The text overhead read Twin Peaks: The Complete Mystery.

"Ohhhh..." Her face seemed to be overcome with bliss as she accepted her sister's offering- the sort of bliss Mukuro had thought could only come to her through despair. "Thank you, Mukuro... well done."

Mukuro was taken aback by her congratulations. "Er... thanks...?"

"Remind me to pay you back later," Junko instructed, opening the case and flicking through the various discs.

"Pay... me back?" Mukuro had naturally assumed this was on her own yen- that Junko might even consider paying her back hadn't even crossed her mind.

Junko ignored the confusion. "Well, no time to waste- let's get started!"

"Get- get started?" Mukuro asked, nonplussed.

"On the show, of course!" Junko nodded eagerly.

"Is there... is there a purpose? For watching the show, I mean?" Mukuro knew she wasn't supposed to question her sister's decisions, but this was esoteric even by her standards. Why should Junko take interest in a nearly thirty-year old television show from America?

Junko herself hesitated. There it was again- she hadn't thought this plan through. In all honesty, she'd wanted to see the show because she recalled it being her favorite as Jack. She'd wanted to watch it with Mukuro as a step towards reconstructing a sisterly bond- she'd never considered what would happen if Mukuro asked the perfectly reasonable question of why Junko Enoshima would be interested in a show like Twin Peaks.

But she was nothing if not a natural-born liar. "For the despair, of course! I haven't been getting all the despair I need from daily life, but the way I hear it, this show portrays despair better than just about any other!"

"If... if you say so...?" Mukuro said hesitantly.

"I do! I do say so! So sit down and let's get going!"

Junko's television wasn't as large as Chiaki's, or some of her own classmates, but it was more than serviceable. She plugged the first disk into her player, bringing up a menu consisting of wind blowing through trees, bringing her a wave of nostalgia for her past life.

"Er... if I may ask, what sort of show is this?" Mukuro asked.

"A murder mystery," Junko answered, privately thinking, *The same way Evangelion is a mecha anime...*

"I see," Mukuro nodded, starting to understand why Junko might have taken an interest in this show in particular.

The screen began by showing a woman with a log. To Junko's own surprise as much as Mukuro's, she found herself able to quote her entire opening speech from memory.

"Hello, and welcome to Twin Peaks. My name is Margaret Lanterman- I live in Twin Peaks, where I am known as the Log Lady. There is a story behind that- there are many stories in Twin Peaks. Some are sad, others funny. Stories of madness... and violence... others are ordinary, but about them all is a sense of mystery. The mystery of life, the mystery of death... the mystery of the woods. The woods surrounding Twin Peaks. To introduce this story, let me merely say that it encompasses 'The All.' It is beyond the fire, though few would know that meaning. It is the story of many, but it begins with one- and I knew her. The one leading to the many is Laura Palmer.

"Laura Palmer is the one."

Laura Palmer, as Mukuro quickly found out, was the murder mystery's victim- found wrapped in plastic on a riverbank by an old man who had merely wanted to fish. Over the next hour, Junko watched eagerly as despair spread across the small wooded town of Twin Peaks- Palmer, it seemed, was quite the popular girl. Mukuro found herself thinking of Sayaka. Hardly one person in the town seemed unaffected by her death- so different from the battlefield, she thought, where death was such a common occurrence.

Her attention was truly caught, however, with the introduction of the protagonist (according to Junko): Dale Cooper, an agent sent to the town to help find the girl's killer. Mukuro blinked when he appeared- there was something about that smile, that bright, boyish enthusiasm, so full of hope, even in these dark circumstances, the way he immediately began befriending the townspeople...

Despite the lengthy pilot episode, she found herself disappointed when it drew to a close- especially due to the cliffhanger ending. "Wait... so who did it? Who killed Laura Palmer?"

"Oh, how boring would it be if they gave everything away in the first episode?" Junko rolled her eyes heavily. "We've still got three seasons to go!"

Mukuro found herself glancing at the case containing the rest of this bizarre show. "Perhaps we... could watch more later?"

She almost jumped out of her skin when she felt Junko slap her on the back. "Mukuro... you read my mind! Let's meet up tomorrow! For now..." She found herself rubbing her head, still feeling the bandages beneath. "I need some rest."

"Understood," Mukuro nodded, rising to her feet.

"I meant it, by the way," Junko added before Mukuro could take her leave. "Remind me to pay you back- not like I don't' have money to burn."

Mukuro hesitated at the door again. "I... if you say so."

"I do say so!" Junko nodded. "Good night, sis!"

"Good... good night."

Junko grinned as she lay back in her bed, glad to rest. Well, if she'd needed more evidence that her memories of a past life were, in fact, true...

XXXX

The cafeteria was buzzing the next day with news of Junko's accident. Sakura, of course, was still taking it rather hard. "I should have done more- I should have saved her!" she lamented.

"It wasn't your fault!" Hina was insisting. "It was whoever put that peel there!"

"Eh, ten to one, she put the peel there herself and forgot about it," Mondo guessed, rubbing at the back of his head.

"Nevertheless..."

"Nevertheless nothing!" Hina pushed. "I don't know if she put the peel there, but if she tries to 'despair' you by saying you should have saved her, I'll give her a piece of my mind!"

"I can't speak to Sakura's guilt- or lack thereof," Mukuro quickly amended under Hina's glare, "but Junko has been acting strangely since she woke up..."

"Junko? Acting strangely? Well, color me surprised," Celestia noted drily.

"I can't but agree with Hifumi," Byakuya concurred. "Forgive me if I don't fall over in shock at the news that the girl who tried to start a doomsday cult as an April Fool's prank is behaving oddly."

"Hifumi?!" Celeste asked, affronted. "Where are your glasses, Togami?!"

Everyone turned to stare- sure enough, Byakuya wasn't wearing his glasses today. He crossed his arms and pointedly looked the other way. "As if I would rely on glasses to function in this school..."

"Sounds like he lost them, and doesn't want to admit it," Leon chuckled.

"Silence, Mondo!" Togami hissed, causing the two redheads to exchange looks of confusion.

Mukuro coughed. "No, none of that is what I mean," she stated, trying to turn the conversation back to her sister. "She's acting strange... strange for her." It was proving more difficult than she'd expected to communicate her concerns. "Makoto, you know what I-"

She trailed off when a familiar voice met her ears- as well as everyone else's. They all turned to stare at the door to the cafeteria as the woman of the hour herself came dancing in- actually dancing, and singing a song none of them had heard before.

"MAIRZEY DOTES AND DOZEY DOTES AND LITTLE LAMZEY DIVY- A KIDDLY DIVEY TOO, WOULDN'T YOU? MAIRZEY DOTES AND DOZEY DOTES, AND LITTLE LAMZEY DIVEY- A KIDDLY DIVEY TOO, WOULDN'T YOU?!"

She paused at the head of the table, smirking at their bewildered reactions, then continued in a lower, more conspiratorial voice. "Now, if the words sound queer, and funny to your ear- a little bit jumbled and jivey- say 'Mares eat oats, and does eat oats, and little lambs eat ivy...'"

She bowed. "I'm back!"

"Hmm..." Togami pondered. "Perhaps there is something to your sister's concern after all."

Taka, however, perked up. "I, for one, welcome your change in attitude, Ms. Enoshima! That's the way to be- a quick recovery and a show of spirit!"

"You totally get me!" Junko's eyes sparkled at him. "Come on, Taka- dance with me! Dance!"

"Perhaps I will!"

He leapt to his feet- the two made quite the spectacle as they danced around the table. "Mairzey dotes and dozey dotes and little lamzey divy- a kiddly divey too, wouldn't you? Mairzey dotes and dozey dotes, and little lamzey divey- a kiddly divey too, wouldn't you?"

Sakura finally cleared her throat, drawing their attention. "I don't wish to interrupt, Junko, however... I must apologize for my inability to save you from your fate yesterday."

"With the peel?" Junko asked. "Ah, don't worry about that- it's not your fault, it's on whatever braindead lump put it there in the first place!"

Abruptly, her tone shifted, becoming much more serious. "That said... as soon as I find out who put that peel there... I'm sure my sis would just love to go to town on you, and I don't think I'd be inclined to stop her."

A shudder passed over the group- perhaps she hadn't changed as much as she seemed.

But then she was bright and cheery again. "Oh, that reminds me- Mukuro, can I talk to you about something?!"

"Of course." Mukuro was on her feet within a second, following her sister out the door as she continued to sing.

"Mairzey dotes and dozey dotes, and little lamzey divey..."

Byakuya watched them go as best he could without his glasses, then rose to his own feet. "Not that this hasnt' been thrilling, but I have business of my own to attend to. Naegi, come- I have decided you will assist me."

He reached out and snatched up Toko, dragging her along with him. A silly grin crossed her face.

"Er, Byakuya, that's-" Hiro started, only to be silenced by a deathly glare from Toko.

"Nope, nope, this is Naegi, alright!" she insisted. "Hope, luck, hope, luck, hope!"

"You should take a shower after this, Naegi, you're starting to smell..."

Everyone stared. Finally, Chiaki gave voice to what was on everyone's mind. "What... is going on today?"

XXXX

Mukuro allowed herself to be steered out into the hallway- this time around, she allowed Junko to carry her as far as she needed before disclosing what she wanted now.

"Alright, here we are," Junko finally decided, coming to a halt in an empty classroom. She paused, looking at her sister almost expectantly. "Well?"

"Well...?"

"Aren't you gonna ask why I dragged you out like this?"

"I..."

Junko took a deep breath, then flashed that grin again. "Glad you asked! Well, y'see, I've been thinking about despair- shocker, I know- but I've come to a conclusion. A world with only despair would get... boring after a while, if that's all there was! It really got me thinking- what is despair without hope, really? Can you really feel true despair without hope somewhere in there, too? But then, how do we- the despair sisters- go about bringing hope to anyone? Then it hit me- like a lightning bolt through the sky- what we really need... is Makoto."

"Makoto?" Mukuro repeated, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end, as it always did when it sounded like Junko's plans might bring harm to her favorite luckster. "What... I mean..."

"Oh, relax, we don't plan on hurting him," Junko quickly assured her, crown popping out of nowhere. In the next second, the crown had been replaced by a pair of glasses and a ponytail. "No, snuffing out his hope altogether... would be boring. We must bring it into the proper balance to ensure we get the most out of our despair."

Countless emotions battled for dominance in Mukuro at this point- she wasn't even sure what to feel at this turn of events. Sure, Junko was promising safety for Makoto, but how long could that possibly last? Finally, she asked the only question she found herself capable of forming: "Aren't... aren't those Byakuya's glasses?"

Junko paused, removing the glasses she'd just donned and examining them closely, as if just noticing them for the first time. "Hmm... yes, I suppose they are."

XXXX

Third chapter is often a doozy- here's hoping you're still enjoying! Until next time, please R&R, constructive criticism always embraced, Gamer4 out!


	4. The Melancholy of Junko Enoshima

Gamer4 in. Getting started on Valentine's Day, so I'll proceed to not feature that in this chapter at all. Maybe next year, idunno, I'm literally making this up as I go from here on out.

Disclaimer: Echoed voices in the night, she's a restless spirit on an endless flight!

Chapter IV

The Melancholy of Junko Enoshima (Part I)

"This particular song will end with three sharp sounds."

True to the Log Lady's prophecy, the first season finale of Twin Peaks ended with the protagonist, Dale Cooper, taking three bullets to the chest- much to Mukuro's chagrin. He just reminded her so much of Naegi, seeing him get shot was like seeing Naegi get shot- she couldn't stand it!

Junko, go figure, was cackling wildly as she finished off the popcorn they'd prepared for tonight's episodes.

"That- that can't be the end!" Mukuro objected wildly. "It can't- it can't just end like that! Who did it? Who shot him? He- surely, he must survive somehow!"

"Iunno," Junko shrugged, slowly and deliberately. "Maybe we'll find out in the next episode!"

Mukuro tensed, glancing again at the boxed set of this show that had suddenly inserted itself into her life. She... really wanted to know what happened next.

"And Palmer- did Johnson really kill Laura Palmer?"

Junko produced a pair of glasses (not Byakuya's, which she'd returned a few hours after realizing she'd taken them in the first place,) and put on a strange accent. "Ah guess yo'll foind aut- wontcha?"

Mukuro tilted her head in confusion. "Are you... developing another personality, Junko-chan?"

Junko glanced away, grumbling slightly. "Reference... wouldn't get it..."

Mukuro attempted to analyze the Ultimate Analyst- hardly for the first time recently. It had been about a week since her fall down the stairs- the next day would finally see her removing her bandages. She probably could have removed them earlier, but Mikan, of course, liked to be absolutely certain about these things.

As much as Mukuro had struggled to deny it throughout that week, something had very noticeably changed in her sister since her trip down the steps. She was hardly the only one to notice it- if anything, it was harder to ignore. The thing was, though... it wasn't a bad change, exactly. She smiled a lot more, and when she did, it felt far more genuine than the surface-deep grins she'd offered before, only a front to hide a deep-seated emptiness. The twinkle in her eyes, usually only reserved for when she was thinking deeply about her favorite topic, hardly left anymore, and she'd been all around far more open and kind with others- Mukuro, perhaps most of all.

She wasn't certain how to feel about it- of course, it felt wonderful to finally receive acknowledgments from her sister not steeped in cynical sarcasm, but for every seemingly honest declaration of sisterly love that passed through Junko's lips, Mukuro felt a tightening in her chest- surely, this must all be some game to her, building up everyone's hopes so that, when the despair finally landed, it was all the more potent. She'd said as much at the start of all this, hadn't she? That the greatest despair could only exist alongside hope?

She decided to voice some of this concern- some of it. "It's... it's been a while since we tried for any... despairing plans," she noted aloud.

Had she been anyone other than Junko's sister, she'd likely have missed the minute tensing of her muscles at that line- it was gone in less than a second. "Y'know, Muku-nee, I gotta be honest," Junko grunted, turning to face her for a moment before collapsing onto her bed- it was getting rather late- "Despair is starting to lose some of its... kick lately, you know what I mean? Still feels good, but just not... not as good as it did in the beginning, if you kennit."

That was another thing, Mukuro thought- post-accident, Junko seemed to have picked up several odd phrases and idioms she'd never used before- that nobody Mukuro knew had used before, or even understood, for that matter. Kennit, she'd come to understand, meant to understand, but she'd only managed to grasp that after hearing Junko use the word several times over, and guessing from context.

More to the point, though... "You're... giving up on despair?" she asked, aghast. "What happened to... it's not an ideal, not a goal, not a way of life- it defines you as Junko Enoshima?"

Junko waved her hand carelessly. "Too much of anything makes it boring, Muku-nee- why should despair be any different?"

It sounded like an excuse to Mukuro's ears, but she was hardly one to question Jun-

She deftly caught the pillow Junko had just thrown at her and returned it full force without even thinking about it until it crashed into her face at near mach speed.

"Oof!" Junko grunted as her head slammed back into her bed.

"Oh- Junko! Junko, I'm so sorry-"

Junko cut her off by raising a thumbs-up. "G'd'n," she grunted into the pillow, her words muffled by feathers. She removed the pillow and sat up again. "Geez, gotta keep you on your toes, don't I?"

Mukuro remained baffled. Add on to the odd behavior- the repeated attempts on her life had abruptly ceased to be lethal, becoming more petty attempts like the attempted tackle last week or the pillow just now. And if they backfired- as they had more than once- rather than expressing anger, she seemed to almost enjoy it.

"Look, no need to think so hard about this," Junko persisted. "I mean, what, did you want to put all our classmates into despair?"

Well, that was the big problem, wasn't it? Mukuro didn't really 'want' anything for herself- all she really 'wanted' was to please her sister, and if that meant plunging the world into despair, she'd do it, but...

Junko groaned. "Do you want to throw Makoto into despair?"

"No," Mukuro answered immediately, then quickly covered her mouth- she'd answered without even thinking about it.

Junko, meanwhile, smiled. "Well, there you go, then! Nobody's gonna just give you what you want, sis, you gotta reach out and grab it by the horns!"

"Er... are we still talking about despair?"

Junko sighed heavily- but, just like the past week, the word 'disappointed' never crossed her lips. "Never mind. Let's just... call it a night for now. I've got some stuff to think about, and clearly, you do, too... see you at breakfast tomorrow, sis! Love ya!"

Mukuro felt that warmth again, and wondered again what she was suddenly doing so different for Junko to be offering genuine words of love like this. "I... love you too... Junko." It was with a small, confused, yet satisfied smile as she took her leave.

Junko stood up long enough to turn out the lights, then curled up in her bed. "Huh... she's right, though... we really haven't been doing anything lately..."

She slipped a crown onto her head. "Of course not! We are still in the beginning of our plans- Operation 'I Don't Know What You're Talking About, Of Course I'm Still the Ultimate Despair!'...(TM.)"

The crown fell off, and she placed a hand over her face. "True, but we can't risk sitting on our laurels much longer. As we're getting our bandages removed tomorrow, I move that we put into motion Operation 'Prevent the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History (TM)' (TM)."

"Ohhhhh!" Moe Junko suddenly made her voice known. "Too many twade-mawks! This is gettin' scawy!"

"Who gives a shit about the trademarks?!" Rock Star Junko butted in. "Stoic freak over there is right- we best get our asses moving if we wanna kick those fuckers to the curb!"

"Then it's decided?" Teacher Junko took stock of the situation. "Tomorrow, we finally begin garnering support for our new cause?"

She made a show of going through each of her personalities and calling out 'Aye' each time.

"But... where do we even start?" Mushroom Junko pondered.

"Ah, worry about it later! Didn't we wanna try thinking on our feet for a change?" Tongue Junko gleefully pointed out.

Some more nodding, grunts of agreement, and minor discussion later, the decision was reached to go to sleep for now and worry about the next day when it actually arrived.

XXXX

The next morning found Mukuro beating her sister to breakfast again. Under normal circumstances, she'd wait for her sister to come calling, but she'd been given leave to go to breakfast at her own pace lately- so she did. She had business to discuss with Makoto, the only other person in the school she felt she could confide in.

"Yeah, I know what you're talking about," Makoto acknowledged when Mukuro once again brought up Junko's bizarre behavior. "But... based on everything you've told me... isn't this a positive change?"

Mukuro hesitated- she had to speak slowly now, lest she risk revealing something she really didn't want to. "Perhaps, but... if it really is brought about by head trauma, is it really... I don't know... is it really her?"

"I... I kinda see where you're coming from..." Makoto nodded. "But still, she seems... happier than she did before. Why not talk to her about it directly? I mean, she is your sister."

"I... she's rather... unpredictable. It's hard to know what she'll do in any-"

"THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME, PUNK?!"

Makoto sighed as the cafeteria once again burst into shouts, coming primarily from the two young man who had been feuding practically nonstop since the year's beginning. Mondo's pompadour mirrored his agitation, bobbing up and down as he screamed at Kyotaka Ishimaru, who, despite being a clear foot shorter, kept absolutely steady as he glared right back.

"I called you a coward!" he fired back, red eyes piercing Mondo's purples. "A sniveling coward hiding behind a veneer of bravado!"

Chihiro, a mutual friend of the boys, was cowering in her seat, tears at the edges of her eyes, though neither boy was paying much attention.

"WANNA SAY THAT TO MY FACE?!"

"I already am- are you such a dullard you haven't realized-"

"Hey, hey, what's going on here?" came a feminine voice from the doorway- those who cared to look did so and saw a disgruntled Junko edging her way into the room. "We don't have class today, it's way too early to be yelling like this," she grumbled as she adjusted her hair slightly.

"Enoshima, you are exactly seven minutes and twenty-three seconds late!" Taka chastised. "What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"Nothing, really," Junko shrugged as she plopped herself down at the table, grabbing some eggs and pulling them over, proceeding to drown them in salt. "My makeup just wouldn't cooperate."

"You are taking in far too much sodium for a healthy student-"

"Hey, lay off, man, your beef is with me! You leave everyone else out of it!"

Junko grunted wearily as she helped herself to the eggs. She'd gained a vast appreciation for eggs since reawakening her old memories. A great source of protein and vitamins, and tasted delicious- especially coated with a hefty helping of salt, something else she'd found herself almost addicted to. From her memories, it was amazing Jack hadn't died of heart palpitations, to be honest.

As the argument continued, her eyes suddenly widened as she looked up at the feuding boys, something clicking in her mind. A smirk started to spread across her face, and she quickly downed the rest of her eggs. Time to shine...

"Without exception, people of your status are all talk!"

"Oh, lookit you, acting all high and mighty from your ivory towers- just like that blond douchebag over there!"

"How- how dare you compare me to Byakuya!" Taka flushed in anger.

Byakuya took a break from glaring at Junko (whom he had yet to forgive for stealing his glasses a week ago, despite their swift return,) to direct himself at what could generously be called an argument. "I'll thank you to keep me out of this."

"But ain't that exactly what you are?" Mondo snarled. "Everyone else is just too stupid to possibly hold a candle to your genius, ain't that right?!"

Taka was struck speechless- albeit through what appeared to be anger. His face was red with fury, his cheeks puffed up as he struggled to get out a single word. "What... how... dare..."

"Boys, boys, boys, you're both beautiful," Junko smirked as she slid her way between them, glancing from one boy to the other as if she wasn't on the verge of getting punched in the face. "But yelling at each other like this isn't gonna get us anywhere, you know? How about we try something a little more... proactive?"

"What are you proposing?" Taka demanded, eyeing her with suspicion.

"A simple duel," she answered smugly. "You both head on over to the sauna and sit in for as long as you can- last man standing wins!"

"A splendid idea!" Taka roared. "Do you have what it takes to back your boasts, Owada?!"

"DAMN STRAIGHT!" Mondo bellowed back, already turning towards the cafeteria's doors. "And Junko- you'll be our witness!"

"Sounds good to me~!" Junko singsonged as she skipped along behind the storming boys.

A ringing silence was left in their wake. Makoto found himself drumming his fingers nervously. "Is... is that something we should be worrying about, Mukuro?"

"I... I'm not sure..." Mukuro admitted.

XXXX

"How about we make this really interesting, then?!" Mondo snarled at Taka as the three made their way to the sauna- Taka was already in the process of disrobing. "I don't know about you, pansy, but I'm going in with all my clothes on!"

"What?!" Taka gasped, taken aback for the first time today. "That- that's suicidal!" He glanced to his side. "Enoshima, say something!"

"Nah, nah, fine by me," Junko shook her head, beaming as everything played out in accordance with the scenario- the deep-seated Gendo Ikari of her brain was very satisfied. "Oh!" she snapped her fingers and approached Mondo. "Just one thing- make sure you leave your handbook out here. I hear bad things happen to them when they get really hot."

"Oh, shit, that's right," Mondo balked, reaching in\to his pocket and foraging for the tablet in question. "Good catch..."

He mpved over to the lockers, picked one out, and stuck his handbook in it. He then grabbed a towel and draped it over his hair before leading the charge into the sauna- Taka hot on his heels.

*hrh, hot on his heels... high five, brain,* Junko smirked. "Alright!" she called. "I'm about to close the door- first one to open it afterwards loses, and faces thirty-nine strikes with a wet noodle!"

"Ready to lose?" Mondo challenged.

"Don't take words from my mouth!" Taka fired back, sitting resolutely at Mondo's side. They both struck poses somehow very befitting of each. Junko giggled as she slid the door shut.

"Never thought I'd get the chance to witness the birth of such a beautiful relationship personally," she muttered. "Well, they'll be at that all day- suppose I oughtta go find Muku-"

She ground to a halt when she opened the door to find a tearful Chihiro on the other side. "Oh- hey there, Chihiro-chan! What's going on?"

"You... you're putting them in danger, Junko-chan!" Chihiro pointed out, lip trembling. "Why- why would you tell them to..."

"Don't worry about it, " Junko quickly fell back on what she hoped was a comforting voice, draping her arm around the smaller student. "They're tough enough to handle this, and hey, once they come out that door, you'll never see one without the other!"

"What... what makes you think that?" Chihiro tilted her head curiously.

"I'm gonna let you in on a little ssecret," Junko whispered, getting down on her knees and speaking directly into Chihiro's ear. "I know you all think of me as the Ultimate Fashionista- and I am- but I've got a secret talent, too."

She jumped back, striking a dramatic pose. "Ultimate Fashionista by day, Ultimate Analyst by night! It... it kinda sucks, sometimes, when I can see everything that happesn miles ahead of time... but at least I can see a bromance waiting to happen, too!"

"A... a bromance?" Chihiro was completely lost at this point- something Junko didn't fail to notice.

"Don't owrry about it, is the main thing," she repeated. "Everything's gonna be just fine, little man!"

She took the opportunity to dash off, leaving a staggered Chihiro in her wake. "Little... man?" she repeated, a cold hand clenching over her heart.

XXXX

Junko was already on the upper floors before the implications of what she'd said finally hit home. "Ah... shit. I wasn't supposed to know about that yet, was I?"

She panicked about it... for about a second before brushing it off. "No use crying over spilled milk- I'll talk to him about it later, try to smooth things over. In the meantime-"

"Junko-chan?"

Junko turned, and broke into a wide grin. "Ah! Mukuro! Just who I was looking for! Come with me!"

Mukuro's face did not express the surprise she felt as Junko grabbed her by the collar and dragged her off in the direction of the school gym.

Finally, Junko dropped her off in the gym's center, glancing around to make sure they were alone before crossing her arms. "Okay, Mukuro, I'm going to ask you to do something very important now- try not to ask too many questions."

"Of course," Mukuro nodded promptly- not that she usually asked questions anyways.

"Alright... I want you to hit me as hard as you can."

Mukuro's brain stopped. "You... you want me to what?"

Well, there went the 'no-questions' policy.

"What, did you forget?" Junko asked, tilting her head. "I told everyone last week that I'd let you go to town on whoever put that banana peel on the stairs- well, you're looking at her, so go! Take her out!"

Mukuro's eyes widened as she stammered, struggling to think what to say.

"What, you want me to fight back?" Junko guessed. "Fine by me! Put 'em up, put 'em up!" She put her fists up and began dancing around in a mockery of a boxer's stance. "I'll fight you with one arm behind my back! I'll fight you standing on one foot! I'll fight you with my eyes closed!" She demonstrated by forcing each handicap upon herself as she described them.

"I... I don't understand," Mukuro stuttered out. "Why- why would you-"

Junko finally calmed down a bit, her face returning to a more neutral expression- sh sighed, and crossed the short distance between the two, patting Mukuro on the shoulder. "Look, Muku-nee, I've been doing some thinking over the past few days, and it's occurred to me that I haven't really been the greatest sister ever."

"What?" Mukuro fumbled her words again, more taken aback than ever. "That... but... that's not-"

"It is true," Junko cut her off, crossing her arms. "Don't try denying it- I've been treating you less like a sister and more like a personal punching bag. The attempts on your life... the constant put-downs... all while knowing you'd just take it because it's better than being ignored completely."

In the blink of an eye, she'd suddenly slipped into her rock-star persona. "But that stops today, bitch! You've gotta have some resentment burning away somewhere down there, so bring it all to an end! Give me a good punch and knock this shit outta me!"

Mukuro had no idea what to do. She stood there, performing her best fish impression, eyes wide, skin pale. "Junko... that's... I don't..."

Junko groaned dramatically. "Shoulda known it wouldn't be that easy... alright, then, back to basics- either you smack me around, or I go after Makoto-"

*WHACK!*

The next thing either sister knew, Junko had flown across the gym, her boots and socks remaining on the floor where she'd been standing as the rest of her sailed through the air, finally landing on the ground with a loud thud.

As soon as she realized what she'd done, Mukuro panicked. "Junko- I'm sorry, I don't know what came over-"

Junko was laughing- great loud guffaws were escaping her mouth as she pulled herself up to her feet again.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" she chuckled. She straightened up again and rapped fiercely on her chest. "C'mon, we're just getting started! Come at me, sis!"

Mukuro continued to stare blankly across the room, struggling to comprehend what was going on. Seemingly tired of waiting, Junko abandoned all decorum, taking the role of the aggressor as she tackled her sister to the ground.

Once more, Mukuro's instincts took over- she managed to turn them around and force Junko to the ground, before leaping to her feet. "No- I'm sorry!"

"Sorry for what?! This is great!" Junko was beaming as she leapt to her bare feet again. "I haven't had this much fun in years!"

And Mukuro knew that it was true- she could tell when her sister was lying, and this wasn't it. Junko truly wanted Mukuro to attack her- to fight her, even though she knew it was a battle she couldn't win.

*Or perhaps, because she knows she can't win?* she pondered. *Is it the despair of a futile battle she's seeking?*

Either way, it was hardly her place to deny her sister what she desired, crude though it seemed- and though she'd likely try to deny it to herself later, there was a certain joy she felt herself as they grappled around the gym throughout the rest of the day. There was something... nostalgic about it, though she couldn't think of any reason that should be the case- they'd never done anything of this ilk before.

XXXX

It was with a large, satisfied smile that Junko took the lead back towards the cafeteria as the day drew to a close. Mukuro followed behind, unwilling to admit her own joy with the way the day had proceeded, but with a small smile of her own.

Junko paused just outside the cafeteria door, glancing back and raising three fingers. She lowered one, another, then the third before kicking the doors open, revealing a truly startling sight.

Everyone else was there, all staring wide-eyed at the two men in the middle, laughing uproariously and thumping each other on the back.

"What you talkin' about, bro?" Mondo was beaming as the sisters slunk in and took seats of their own.

"Kahahahaha!" Taka chortled right back. "What are you talking about, bro?!"

"What's going on, Naegi-kun?" Mukuro asked as she sat next to her usual companion.

"Er... I don't..."

"Ah, and if it ain't Junko!" Mondo grinned when he spied the pink-haired woman reaching for more eggs.

"Thank you so much for acting as our witness today!" Taka concurred.

"No problem!" Junko smirked as she waved a vague salute at them.

"They... they're friends now?" Chihiro pondered, almost unable to believe it.

"Found 'em like this about ten minutes ago- they've been like this ever since," Hina related in a lowered voice- not quite a whisper. "It feels gross."

"Hell no! Feels great, more like!" Mondo challenged her statement immediately.

"Forget her, bro- a girl like her can't understand our manly bond!" Taka came to his side immediately. "Friendship beyond men is stronger than blood- it's not something a woman could understand!"

"Bro! Bro!" Mondo's grin returned. "That was cool as shit! I gotta get a tattoo of that!"

"No, bro, you mustn't!" Taka objected, though he never once lost his grin. "Your body is a temple given to you by your loving parents!"

"Hmm... friendship between men seems rather more simple than I'd imagined," Sakura pondered.

"I think I understand," Mukuro put in. "I've seen this many times in Fenrir- though I've never participated myself."

"See? She totally gets it!" Mondo roared. "Good on you, Mukuro, and good on your sister, too!"

This drew attention towards Junko again, where Mukuro suddenly felt a foreign pang.

Despite seeming remarkably happy when she'd first spied the results of her work, her smile had suddenly become rather strained. It wasn't quite as false as Mukuro was accustomed to from years of living with someone who felt only despair, but it certainly wasn't as genuine as she'd no doubt like the others to believe.

"J...Junko?" Makoto prompted- Mukuro suspected he'd noticed, too.

Junko finally seemed to notice their gazes, and subtly shook her head. "Oh- sorry. You know... I suddenly don't feel that hungry- I'll... see you all tomorrow."

She abandoned her food, barely touched, and hurried out of the hall.

"What's wrong with her?" Makoto asked, looking to Mukuro for answers.

"I don't know," Mukuro replied with full honesty, before turning to look after her sister. "But... I intend to find out."

XXXX

Junko hurried back to her dorm, stepping in and closing the door behind her. There was a great weight on her chest that hadn't been there before- voices from that past life whispering into her mind.

*"Now that sounds cool- I gotta get that on a T-shirt!"

"You two are idiots, you know that, right?"

"Ah, don't listen to her, Jack- she just doesn't understand our manly bond!"

"It's Vanessa- she doesn't understand any bond other than ropes- ask me how I know!"*

"Tom... Vanessa... Lana..."

Junko collapsed into her bed, the names of her old friends buzzing around her head. What wouldn't she give to see them all, one last time? But, of course... she never would...

There was a knock at the door. To her utter lack of surprise, it was Mukuro. "Oh, hi, Muku-nee!" she greeted, quickly putting on a veneer of confidence. "I'm guessing the others sent you after me?"

"No, I came on my own," Mukuro denied. Her face seemed as stoic as ever- Junko doubted anyone but herself and perhaps Makoto would be able to see the concern stirring in her eyes. "You seemed... distressed. What's happening?"

"Nothing- nothing," Junko denied. Not that she had any desire to lie to her sister- not anymore, at least- but how was she supposed to even begin explaining what was actually wrong? "Like I said... just not hungry."

Mukuro gave a light hum. She didn't believe her sister's testimony for a second, but couldn't see any way to get more information from her if she didn't want to give it. "Then... perhaps we could watch the next episode of Twin Peaks?" she suggested. "That show always seems to cheer you up."

Junko gave a small smile. "Yeah... I suppose that's an option..."

A moment later, the second season's opener had begun- Mukuro was incredibly relieved to see Cooper survive his gunshot wounds, and found herself unwittingly impressed by the swiftness with which he recovered.

The grand majority of the episode dealt with the fallout caused by the events of the previous season's finale- as to be expected, of course, considering all the dangling threads that episode had left behind.

At the very least, she thought, it seemed to be cheering Junko up- her smile had slowly returned to its more genuine status as she watched the events play out on screen, giving an honest laugh or two here and there... until about halfway through the episode, when she suddenly seemed to take a turn for the worse.

Of all the characters to cause such a perceptible change in Junko, Mukuro thought, it seemed strange that it would be the ne'er-do-well with a heart of gold, Bobby Briggs, and his militaristic father. One scene found the two of them together at the diner that seemed to serve as the centerpiece of Twin Peaks, based on Mukuro's observations. The father ushered his son to come closer, so that he may relate a vision he'd had the previous night-

*"As distinguished from a dream, which is a mere sorting and cataloguing of the day's events by the subconscious... this was a vision, fresh and clear as a mountain stream. The mind revealing itself to itself. In my vision, I was on the veranda of a vast estate. There seemed to emanate a... a light from within, from this gleaming... radiant marble. I knew this place- I had, in fact, been born and raised there. This was my first return- a reunion with the deepest wellsprings of my being."*

As music began to rise in the background, Mukuro found her attention drawn towards Junko, whose smile had vanished in its entirety- her eyes were glued onto the screen, and her eyes seemed to flicker, as if in some distant remembrance.

*"Wandering about, I noticed that the house had been immaculately maintained- there had been added a number of additional rooms, but... in a way that blended so seamlessly with the original construction that one would never detect any difference. Returning to the grand foyer, there came a knock at the door. My son was standing there. He was... happy, carefree, clearly living a life of deep harmony and joy. We embraced- a warm, loving embrace, nothing withheld. We were, in this moment, one."*

Mukuro's eyes refused to leave Junko, widening as Junko's closed, and her body began to tremble.

*"My vision ended, and I awoke with a tremendous feeling of optimism and confidence for you and your future. That was my vision of you. I'm so glad I've had this opportunity to share it with you. I wish you nothing but the very best in all things."*

Finally, the screen paused- Mukuro had picked up the remote to do it, eyes fixed on her sister. "There is something wrong."

"No... everything's just... wonderfully... despairful," Junko shook her head. "I... I need to go take care of something. Don't bother waiting for me- go ahead and finish the... the episode..."

She hurried back out of the room, but not before Mukuro saw the thing that shook her more than anything else in this bizarre week- right down to her very core.

Tears rolling down Junko's face.

Junko.

Tears.

The words struggled to go together in her head- it wasn't possible, Junko Enoshima did not cry. She could put on a convincing show when she needed to, or when she was donning the persona of someone who might shed them- but Junko herself? True tears seemed beyond her- or perhaps beneath her.

Yet, when she hurried out, there had been an unmistakable glistening on her face that couldn't have been caused by anything else.

Junko.

Enoshima.

Crying.

A knife found its way into Mukuro's heart and twisted as she wondered what could have possibly brought it on- plumbing her mind, she could find nothing.

Junko Enoshima was crying... and not enjoying her usual despair.

Only one conclusion could properly form in Mukuro's mind.

Junko needed her help, and as her sister, she was going to give it.

XXXX

I feel this chapter might be a bit jumbled, but I've thought that before for no good reason- I have been told I'm my own harshest critic. What I really need is a nonbiased eye- for which, I turn to you. Until next time, please R&R, constructive criticism embraced, Gamer4 out.


End file.
